Broken Family Ties
by FlakJacket
Summary: Harry meets a new student and discovers she is deeply connected with Professor Snape and more with Harry than even he realizes. Reviews plz!!!!!!!!!


"Broken Family Ties"  
  
Parvati confirmed the rumors a week later; Lavender had cried and cried; after all, they were best friends. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were saddened to see Parvati go; she had always been there the entire time they'd been at Hogwarts, after all. Parvati was going to be officially gone as of a month from now, and it made Harry wonder if it worked at Hogwarts just as it did in the Muggle world. When a student moved away, another always took there place; did that happen at Hogwarts too?  
  
***  
  
Dumbledore stood up from his seat at the High Table; "As we all know, Miss Parvati Patil has left Hogwarts to attend Beauxbatons Academy. We are all saddened by this and she shall surely be missed." Lavender Brown sniffled from down the table as Dumbledore went on, "However, we must move on, and thus I am announcing that we have a new student who shall be starting her sixth year at Hogwarts." A few of the guys perked up from down the table at news that the student was a girl, but Harry and Ron didn't even blanch. "Hogwarts students, I am pleased to introduce Miss Sara Huegel, a transfer student from Durmstrang Institute!" There was a bit of applause, although most of the students with the exception of the Slytherin table were looking at her rather apprehensively.  
  
She was rather thin, with an almost whipcord-like body, and she dressed entirely in black; black robes, black jeans, black t-shirt, black socks, black shoes...even her hair and eyes were black. Harry couldn't possibly imagine what could drive her to dress in black all the time; it must have gotten somewhat boring. He knew he didn't like having to dress in Dudley's old clothes, but he didn't have an option; surely, though, she had the option of color?  
  
Dumbledore cleared his throat, "Since Miss Huegel is a new student, she will need to be Sorted into the proper house." He produced the Sorting Hat and placed it upon her head; she had her arms crossed over her chest and didn't look in the least bit surprised when the hat talked into her ear. Instead she looked more like a tall sentinel, not blinking in the least when it said, "You could be fantastic in Slytherin you know. The greatest wizards have come from that house; but they are also the darkest. Or perhaps Gryffindor, where the wizards are true and brave?"  
  
The hat talked for at least a minute, and everyone waited with bated breath. Finally it spoke, "GRYFFINDOR!" and the Gryffindor table shouted with happiness. Dumbledore took back the hat and she strode off to the table, not a smile or a look of happiness on her face. "Very good," said Dumbledore, a merry twinkle in his eye, "but now to the feast!" Food appeared in front of them and Harry and Ron quickly began devouring it. Hermione, however, was trying to start a conversation with the new student, "So you're from Durmstrang," said Hermione. Sara said nothing and continued to eat her food, "I have a friend who went to Durmstrang," she continued. "Who?" said Sara. "Viktor Krum," said Hermione, now perking up that she had Sara's attention. "Oh. Him," growled Sara, still eating. Hermione didn't know what to do and slowly began concentrating her attention elsewhere, having given up on her. Harry, however, felt sorry for Hermione and tried to add onto the conversation, "Do you play Quidditch?" he asked.  
  
She laughed, "Do I play Quidditch? I am Quidditch." Harry was intrigued, "Really? I'm the Gryffindor Seeker." She rolled her eyes, "I see. Well, not for long if I can help it; I'll have your position in a week." Harry was startled at her arrogance, "What makes you think I'd give it up so easily?" She grinned at him nastily, "I was born to play Quidditch." Ron frowned at her, "Yeah well we'll see about that."  
  
***  
  
A few weeks went by and Sara was already on the Quidditch team; she wasn't a Seeker, much to her disappointment, because the team wanted a Seeker they knew. Instead she was given the position of Beater, and she was excellent at it, much to Harry's dismay. Sara was definitely an unusual student; she enjoyed working and most of the time you could find her in the common room alone at a table, her work around her. Many of the students thought she was mad; no one ever enjoyed their homework besides Hermione, and even she didn't look as happy working as Sara did, if happiness is what it could be called. She was rather emotionless, although she was rather sarcastic and snide at the same time. From the way she held herself, tall and proud, and the way she acted, snotty and arrogant, one might have said she had close ties with Professor Snape. Harry, however, had to admit that from the way she was climbing the ranks to number one student in their class, that she must have been some sort of genius. No one was that smart, played Quidditch, and acted like a jerk without some sort of advantage under them. Even Hermione, who was considered ingenious by most of the students, could be a little flaunting with her knowledge at times.  
  
"She has to be a genius," said Ron one day as they watched her leave their Charms classroom. "Acing that Engorgement Charm like that is almost unnatural." "I don't think so," Hermione sniffed in an offended tone, "just because she did it...better...than...me..." Harry suppressed a smile; Hermione, much to her displeasure, kept getting beaten in percentile rates by the new student, and it was driving her crazy. "Right, well, maybe we should ask her why she's so smart," said Ron. "I don't think that's necessary," said Hermione, "she clearly reads a lot. That's all." "Hermione, just because you read books all the time doesn't make you smart. Maybe she's naturally smarter than the lot of us because she's a genius, like we've been arguing about, remember?" For Hermione, that did it, and she stormed out of the classroom without a second glance at Ron. "Now you've done it," said Harry, "she won't speak to you for a week." Ron shrugged, "Look it's not my fault she's getting all huffy about Sara beating her at smart stuff; it's her fault."  
  
***  
  
Harry was climbing through the portrait hole very late at night; he'd been in the library, researching for a witch essay, and since it was a Friday night the students were allowed to be in the library for longer than usual. Madam Pince had finally kicked him out because he'd been so furiously involved with it; he needed to get it done before Monday and he wouldn't have any time for it on Saturday or Sunday what with Quidditch practice. As he climbed through the portrait hole, however, he heard some strange music coming from the common room. He poked his head inside to see Sara Huegel playing on a thin, black instrument; from Harry's knowledge of Muggle instruments, he'd say it was an oboe. No one was there in the common room with her, which surprised Harry as the students typically stayed up until the late hours of morning on Friday nights. She stopped playing when she saw Harry, "Potter." "Hello Sara," he said, returning her nod.  
  
She went back to playing, although he could see that she was still casting a wary eye upon him. Harry pulled up a chair and sat down at a table in a corner and began working on his witch essay. The music continued on for another fifteen minutes or so and then it stopped; he looked back to see her dissembling her instrument. "How long have you been playing for?" he asked, trying to make conversation. "Five years," she said casually as she put it back in its case. "You sound really good," he said, trying to complement her. "Ha!" she laughed, "You play an instrument?"   
  
"Er, well, no."  
  
"Then your opinion is worthless to me. You know nothing of how music is played so you cannot give a decent judgment on it."  
  
Harry found himself becoming positively frustrated with her; how was he expected to get along with someone who kept turning everything he did into something stupid? She put her case into a special bag that was clearly made to hold it, and departed for the stairs after folding up her music stand. Just as her left foot hit the first step Harry spoke, "Why do you do it?" "Do what?" she asked, turning to face him. "Why are you so cold?" he clarified, "You're always so mean to everyone. Why?" She walked to Harry's table and put her bag down on top of it, then sat down beside him, "Why do you want to know?" He shrugged, "Maybe because everything I do seems to piss you off in some shape or form." She rolled her eyes, "Everything people do pisses me off in one way or another." "But why?" asked Harry, "Do you honestly have that much to be bitter about?"  
  
Her eyes suddenly grew cold and distant, "Good night, Potter. I'll see you on the practice field at eight sharp tomorrow morning." She left without another glance, and Harry was left wondering what could possibly have turned someone so young so cold.  
  
***  
  
Harry and Ron were infuriated on Monday afternoon when Snape gave them a detention. They'd been trying to help Neville put out the fire in his cauldron and had thrown water on it to cool it off only to discover that water actually made it worse. Snape mistook their actions for trying to inflame the fire and gave them a detention, which was to be served that night. As they ate dinner Ron was calling Snape every name in the book, while Sara listened to them quite sourly. "I think he's the best teacher in the school," she said off-handedly as she piled more ketchup on her sausages. "What?!" cried Ron, "You're mad, howling, barking mad!" "He has his reasons, I assure you," said Sara. Harry didn't say anything; perhaps Sara knew more about the Potions Master than they thought.  
  
Harry and Ron arrived a few minutes early to find that Snape was not in the classroom, so they waited, hoping he would be late or that he wouldn't show up at all. Suddenly Snape entered, "You'll both be pickling rat brains tonight," he said without a 'hello' or 'good evening,' "and you'll be doing it without magic," he added with relish. Harry and Ron both wanted to tear at his face but didn't say anything and instead got down to their duty. After ten minutes of pickling with Snape over their shoulders, however, they heard rapid footsteps down the staircase to the dungeon. Hermione came running in, "Harry! Ron! You wouldn't believe it!" she gasped as she clutched at a stitch in her side. "Miss Granger would you kindly leave my classroom? Potter and Weasley are serving their detentions," said Snape with a sneer. Just then Sara Huegel came running in, wand drawn, "Don't!" she shouted at Hermione, but she was too late.  
  
"Harry!" shouted Hermione, "She's a Death Eater!" The silence was so thick you could have heard a pin drop. Sara lowered her wand, "Thanks Granger. Thanks a lot." Ron drew his wand, "Why you cheap..." "Prove it Hermione," said Harry suddenly, "I want to see some proof." To his surprise Sara drew up the sleeve on her left arm to reveal the Dark Mark burned into it, "There you go." His jaw dropped, "You're a...a Death Eater..." "Granger if I die happy it'll be with you in the ground next to me," snarled Sara angrily. Hermione backed away from her, wand drawn, and stood behind Professor Snape, "Do something Professor! We have to tell Dumbledore!" Instead he sat down and rolled his eyes, "Now what are we going to do?" Sara shrugged, "I dunno. A Memory Charm would probably do it." "A Memory Charm? I'm not sure, people like Dumbledore could break it easily," he replied, thinking about it for a moment.  
  
"You're in league with her?!" cried Hermione; but Harry suspected otherwise, "She's a spy." "Oh well done Potter!" said Sara sarcastically, "Glad to see at least someone here has a brain." Ron lowered his wand, "I'm confused." Sara rolled her eyes, "I can tell from the stupid look on your face." Ron's face grew bright red with anger, "Look I don't know who you think you are but I can tell you right now that I don't care. I'll blast you into a million pieces if you so much as look at me the wrong...." "All right, enough!" shouted Harry, "Why don't you tell us what's going on?" Sara shrugged, "I dunno, should I?" Snape put his hands behind his head, "If you want to. Be advised they'll probably be needing Memory Charms later on though." "Right, I'll remember that for later," she said quietly; then she leaned against Snape's desk and craned her head at the three of them.  
  
"So Granger figured it out. Or rather, she saw my tattoo earlier tonight; good for you, always knew you had some sort of brain in that thick skull." Hermione looked like she was about ready to explode with rage but said nothing. "Alright. I'm Sara Huegel, I'm seventeen years old, and I'm a Gryffindor. All of that is true; however, I did not attend Durmstrang prior to Hogwarts. I'm actually an American who went to one of the magic schools there in the Midwest. Despite my upbringing there, I knew a lot about Voldemort although his main area to terrorize is here in England. One of the things I was famous for, besides Quidditch, was my fascination with the Dark Arts. It is what made me famous, but it's also a large Death Eater influence, because you see, my parents were both Death Eaters." Ron gasped and Hermione covered her mouth in surprise, but Harry and Snape said nothing.  
  
"Due to my large Death Eater influence, most of Voldemort's circle believed me to be part of the next generation of Death Eaters; I would follow my parents' tradition and nothing more needed to be said. But I didn't want to be a Death Eater; I liked the Dark Arts, but I would much rather have taught Defense Against the Dark Arts than how to use them. However, I was branded over the summer and I went along with it and didn't bother telling my parents I wasn't about to be part of Voldemort's inner circle. If I had, they probably would have killed me; instead while Dumbledore was visiting a relative in America he stopped at the school to give a seminar. I found him and managed to speak to him alone for a few minutes and told him about my problem; he immediately wanted me in his company and his own inner circle. I told my parents I was transferring to a school in England so I could be closer to Voldemort, and they agreed; they do not know I am here to spy and pass information to Dumbledore.  
  
"That is why it is so imperative that no one knows about this; my life is on the line, and therefore you'll each be subjected to a Memory Charm later. Sorry," she finished, not looking it in the least bit. "I don't believe it," said Ron, "you're only seventeen. How could you be so involved...?" She laughed bitterly, "I am Sara Huegel. I can do anything." Hermione suddenly burst with anger, "I don't care what side you're on! How could you be so mean and arrogant to everyone?!" "What's wrong Granger? Jealous that I'm number one in the class and you're the pitiful number two? The has been? The wannabe?" Hermione stormed out of the room, and just as she passed Sara, Sara said, "Enjoy it Granger. I'm laughing at you from the top."  
  
The noise resounded across the room; Hermione had slapped her. Sara's eyes became blazing coals for a minute as Hermione said, "I don't care if you are number one, because you know what? It's lonely at the top. That's obvious because you have no friends. At all." Hermione left without a second glance at Sara; Harry and Ron stared after her in amazement, and Harry noticed that Snape looked very angry with Hermione. Sara raised an eyebrow as she watched Hermione leave, "How thickheaded can you get?" she remarked. Ron stared at her in disgust and walked out of the room, stopping only to say, "Pretty thick," then left. Harry shrugged and went after Ron, saying simply, "See you later Sara."  
  
Sara watched Potter disappear around the bend, then turned to Snape, "That takes care of that." "Why must you insist on a life of isolation?" said Snape. She snorted a laugh, "Insist? I have to; anyone that gets close to me is dead, especially with Voldemort on a rampage right now. He's gotten much more powerful as of late; you know that though. We've both been feeling the Mark burn." "I just wish there was a better way," said Snape. "Look it's not like I'm completely alone," said Sara, "I am dating Draco Malfoy. Isn't that enough?" "Yes, but he's a Malfoy," said Snape, "I went to school with his father, Sara, and trust me, the man was not kind. His son isn't much better. Besides, aren't you doing it just to get in the Malfoys' inner circle as well?" Her eyes smoldered slightly, "I do have feelings you know; perhaps the ones I hold for Draco are ones of love rather than betrayal?" Snape said nothing for a moment, then, "When are you going to erase their memories?"  
  
She shrugged, "Whenever I feel like it. It's not like they're going to tell anyone; they know better than that, and especially Potter. The boy has an overwhelming sense of pride and respect for people like you and I." Snape laughed, "For me? I hate the boy; how could you say something like that?" "Oh trust me he hates you too, although I think he may be confusing hate for resentment; but he does respect you, I know he does. He respects you because you're out risking your neck every night, passing information to the 'enemy,' just as I do. He'll leave me alone after this, I am certain of that, because he'll know I am just as you are." "And what is that supposed to mean?" said Snape coldly. "It means you and I are one and the same; we are both spies who live dangerously. One slip for either of us and we're dead; but it's a chance we have to take."  
  
***  
  
The first match of the year was Gryffindor against Slytherin, and Harry felt more than ready. He'd stopped bothering Sara Huegel, mostly because he knew she was busy doing 'other things' that he never spoke about with Ron and Hermione; the three of them knew she was fighting Voldemort in secret, alongside Snape.   
  
After the Quaffle was released, Harry sped off to the top of the stadium, lapping it lazily as he watched for the Snitch; he always did this, as staying out of the rest of the game was the safest move for him possible. He watched Sara knock a Bludger at Slytherin Chaser Bole, who took it full on in the chest. She grinned in triumph and went after the Bludger, this time hitting it at the Slytherin Keeper, who got it in the face. Harry was positive his nose had been broken from the way he was bleeding, but had no more time to think about it as he had just seen the Snitch. He dove down and went after it, watching it hovering by one of the Slytherin hoops. Malfoy immediately took off after Harry, having decided it was best to watch him dive and get the Snitch that way. Harry rolled his eyes as Malfoy came up underneath him; 'Why can't he ever watch for it himself instead of cheating and watching me go after it?' he thought angrily.  
  
Suddenly Harry felt a tug on his broom and looked down to see Malfoy pulling on the tail of it; Harry tried to kick at him but was unsuccessful. But then Malfoy was knocked clean off his broom; a Bludger had hit him hard in the side and because he'd been concentrating on Harry, he hadn't seen it coming. Harry looked up to see Sara grinning with triumph, although she looked a little uncertain about her move; after all, everyone knew that Sara and Draco had been dating for a while now. Harry, however, had no time to think about it and instead took off after the Snitch, leaving Malfoy hurt on the Quidditch pitch. Harry shot up from below the Snitch and caught it, the little silver wings on the golden ball fluttering in his hands. "GRYFFINDOR WINS! POTTER HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" echoed commentator Colin Creevey's voice through a purple megaphone.  
  
Harry was being hugged from all sides by his teammates, and he laughed happily when he saw Malfoy down on the ground, cursing and shouting at him. However, he noticed that one person was already leaving the stadium; Sara Huegel. Harry felt somewhat guilty; after all, if it hadn't been for her hitting Malfoy with that Bludger he wouldn't have made it to the Snitch on time. Broomstick hefted over one shoulder, she had left without so much as a glance at either Harry or Draco; Draco was obviously infuriated with her, but Harry could only watch and wonder.  
  
***  
  
Draco and Sara broke up the next day, and word had spread like wildfire through Hogwarts about it within the hour. Sara looked rather depressed about it, and Draco looked besmirched with anger, especially over the whole Bludger incident. "I will not date anyone who insists on making me look like a fool," he snapped at Crabbe and Goyle during Potions one day. Harry's anger bubbled inside of him, "You're doing a fine job on your own Malfoy; and besides, that's the way Quidditch is played. If you don't like losing don't take it out on her." Malfoy seethed with hatred as his eyes became slits of fury, "Shut up Potter; I don't want to hear about your little girlfriend. Clearly she's in league with you; why else would she have saved you?" "I dunno, maybe because they're both on the same Quidditch team?!" snarled Ron from his cauldron; even though he didn't like Sara at all, he didn't like hearing Malfoy taunt a fellow Gryffindor. "A comment from the Weasel?" said Draco sarcastically, "Oh, I'm so interested; your opinion must be worth all of two Knuts, just like your house."  
  
There was a loud bang as Ron's cauldron was flipped over onto Malfoy's head, and soon he was covered in purple and green boils, moaning with pain and anger. "WEASLEY!" shouted Snape, spitting with rage, "DETENTION AND SIXTY POINTS FROM GRYFFINDOR! STAY AFTER AND CLEAN THIS UP!" Harry moved behind his own cauldron, hoping it would block him from view; Snape was looking as tall and sweeping as usual, only ten times angrier.   
  
Now was definitely not the time to say anything rude or disobliging to the Potions Master.  
  
***  
  
Despite Ron's loss in house points, no one was too keen on bothering him about what had happened in Potions; since word had spread that Malfoy had been somehow involved, no one was surprised that Ron had blown up on him. Malfoy made every Gryffindor angry; that was no secret. After Quidditch practice one afternoon, Harry caught up with Sara, who had stayed after to practice some broomstick maneuvering on the pitch in private. "What now Potter?" she said. "I...erm..." said Harry slowly, not sure exactly what he was supposed to say, "...I just wanted to say I'm sorry about you and Draco not working out. I...I'm sure you'll find someone else though...lots of better people besides Draco out there you know." He sounded stupid and he knew it; he just wanted to say something to her, try to make her feel better somehow...after all, she was risking her neck all the time, so why couldn't he try a little compassion with her? She rolled her eyes, "Him? I'm over him, don't worry about me. Just mind your business, Potter; I can take care of myself."  
  
She walked away from him and mounted her broomstick, leaving Harry baffled and wondering why he even bothered.  
  
***  
  
In their next DADA lesson, the class was to review and test over the Unforgivable Curses; Harry knew he could withstand the Imperius Curse no problem because of what Professor Moody had put him through in his fourth year. But he wasn't too sure how fresh his mind would be over the subject. Professor Ward put each of the students under the Imperius Curse, and Harry was amazed at how well Sara did under it; she acted as if nothing had even touched her mind in the least. Ward congratulated her on her stunning ability and awarded her fifteen house points for it; Harry filed the information away for later and soon the bell rang. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were crossing the entrance hall to the dungeons for Potions when they spotted Draco Malfoy, who was snickering at them in a corner with Crabbe and Goyle. "Ahh Potty, Weasel, and Mudblood Granger," he said in a singsong voice as they went by, "surely Huegel is around somewhere? After all, Potty needs a girl to defend him from Draco Malfoy." Harry felt his face growing red with anger, and he stopped and turned to face Malfoy, "You know what Malfoy? At least I can see a Bludger when it's coming at me and I don't need the rest of my team to scrape my crying form off the Quidditch field."  
  
There were two loud bangs; one from the end of Malfoy's wand and one from the end of Sara Huegel's wand. Malfoy had tried to curse Harry but apparently Sara had been right behind Harry, Ron, and Hermione, had seen it coming, and dished it out to Malfoy in return. Malfoy was now covered in purpling bruises that were octagonal in shape, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione were laughing hysterically as they went into the dungeon. Sara was lurking about ten steps behind them, and they hadn't said a word to her; Ron and Hermione still didn't like talking to her despite her save for Harry at the last Quidditch match. Harry, however, let Ron and Hermione go into the classroom and stopped Sara; "You didn't have to do that you know, but thanks," he said gratefully. She shrugged him off, "I know I didn't have to do it. Just did it because of Malfoy..." she grumbled as she strode into the classroom, banging the door out of her way. Harry shook his head; 'All spy Death Eaters must be alike,' he thought as he followed her in, 'because the two I know dress in black and act like...' "Late, Potter?" said a sneering voice from behind him. Harry turned to see Professor Snape, towering and mean looking, staring coldly at him from the doorframe. "Er, I was just..." began Harry, but Sara spoke, "He was helping me sir," she said, "my bag split and a few inkbottles got smashed. Harry wouldn't have been late if I hadn't been so...foolish."  
  
Harry was stung by those words, for some reason; he felt like she was calling him foolish, not her. Harry had to admit to himself that both Sara and Snape had the uncanny ability to make people feel stupid, yet in their own private ways they each had the ability to help people when they wanted. "Nevertheless, five points from Gryffindor for your tardiness Potter," said Snape as he swished past him to his desk. Harry was amazed; a tardy in his class was worth at least fifteen house points and even a detention if you caught Snape on a bad day, but Sara's input must have stopped him. He said nothing and seated himself in between Ron and Hermione, who were looking at Sara apprehensively. She was staring at Snape, then saw the two of them looking at her and her gaze snapped to them; Hermione and Ron looked away after a minute of her black eyes boring into them, and began to take notes. The lesson continued without much other incident except for a time or two whenever Ron or Hermione were caught staring at Sara; she'd catch their stares and continue to stare right back. Harry was sure it wasn't just angst that was causing Ron and Hermione to look away; it was also fear.  
  
Harry had felt it before too; Sara's eyes weren't just regular black eyes. They held the same sort of gaze as Snape's; they were glittering tunnels, and seemed like black orbs of cold and anguish. Harry sometimes felt paralyzed with cold whenever he fell under her gaze; he hated it whenever she looked at him like that. He felt translucent beneath it, and was sure Ron and Hermione could feel it too.  
  
After class they headed to dinner, and Harry noticed that Sara was yet to appear at the Gryffindor table. Ron was chewing quietly on his steak when he finally said, "Do you two feel what I feel whenever she...looks at you?" There was no need to ask who 'she' was; Hermione and Harry both knew who he was talking about. For a moment neither of them said anything, however, then Hermione spoke, "If I didn't know any better I'd say she was related to Snape." She said nothing more and continued to eat, despite Ron's questioning look; "I think I know what you mean," he said finally. "It's her...her..." "Style," finished Harry, "they're both far too much alike to be just ex you-know-what's." Death Eaters. They had to share more than just their Death Eater traits; there was far too much pointing to the idea that perhaps they were...but they couldn't be. "Her name is Huegel and his is Snape," said Hermione, voicing Harry's thoughts, "they can't possibly be related." "So what if she changed her name, or he changed his name, or they both changed their names?!" hissed Ron. "Both of them? That doesn't make any sense," said Hermione. He shrugged, "Oh whatever, but you get my drift."  
  
Suddenly the doors to the Great Hall were flung open and Sara came striding in, black robes billowing fiercely around her, making her look more like a demonic Slytherin than a silent Gryffindor. She went to the High Table, talked to Snape, then the two left together, amidst stares from the students. Snape caught the looks on some of their faces and he stopped in the middle of the aisle to the doors, "Go back to eating. Now." No one else dared looked at either him or Sara, and soon the doors had been slammed shut; they were gone. However, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been staring at the two of them in awe; they walked alike, talked alike, dressed alike, looked alike, and even stared alike. "Oh my God," said Ron softly, his fork falling to his plate with a quiet clatter, "they're brother and sister."  
  
***  
  
The three of them were having a fierce argument in the common room, late one Friday night; "She's not even a Slytherin," snapped Hermione, "there's no way they could be so closely related!" "But not everyone is the same!" said Ron, "Look at Parvati and Padma Patil when they were here! Parvati was a Gryffindor and Padma was a Ravenclaw! There are no rules when it comes to Sorting!" "They look too much alike to be just ex you-know-what's though," hissed Harry, "they have to be related somehow. It's too uncanny for them to look so much alike you can barely tell the difference between..."   
  
"Debate tournament?" said Sara's voice, cool as ice from behind them. Harry whipped around to face her, a silent sentinel, clad in her usual black robes, "Er, hi Sara! How are you?" he said, trying to be friendly and not look guilty. "Gossiping in the corner?" she said, cocking one eyebrow at them. "No! I mean no, of course not," said Ron hastily. "Gossiping...about me?" she said softly, her voice like a steel blade piercing their hearts. Hermione's jaw dropped, "The very idea! Of course not!" Sara's eyes widened ever so slightly, "I see." Harry suddenly felt like the very breath was sucked from his lungs; she was staring at each of them with her orb like eyes, and none of them felt strong enough to return it. She held Harry's gaze for an extra second, then her eyes seemed to diminish; they were now simply a glittering black, not that penetrating, God-awful stare that made so many people feel helpless beneath it. "Indeed," she said softly, "a very curious idea. Snape and I...very, very curious." She turned on her heel and left, climbing out of the portrait hole and out of their souls for the moment.  
  
Ron looked at Hermione and Harry in horror, "She couldn't have known...she couldn't hear us from where she was! She was all the way across the room! How did she know?!" he moaned, "I'll never be able to keep a secret from her when she stares at me like that!" Harry involuntarily hugged himself, trying to return some warmth to his body; it felt like all of it had been sucked out from under her stare. Hermione was trembling with fear, "What if she can read minds?" Then Harry remembered how Snape had that same incredible ability; they both seemed to be able to read minds at times, it was true. "Snape seems to be able to read minds whenever he stares at me," said Harry quietly. "I mean, I don't think he really can, but there have been a few close calls where I was certain he knew what I was thinking." Ron slammed a fist down on his armchair, "That settles it; come on, I'm following her. We obviously need to have a talk."  
  
He got up and went out the portrait hole, and Harry and Hermione reluctantly followed. The three of them tried to find out where Sara had gone to, and they finally got their answer from Nearly Headless Nick, the Gryffindor house ghost, "Saw her heading down to the dungeons I did," he said as he glided alongside them, "toward Professor Snape's classroom." Harry's heart sank; the last person he wanted to talk to right now was Snape; he simply wanted to talk to Sara alone. They thanked Nick then went down to the dungeons and stopped just outside Snape's classroom; there were voices arguing inside it. "Damn it Severus! What if they do suspect something? Then what? What sort of action do we take?!" "Don't get aggressive with me Sara. I may be a teacher here but I'm still your brother. I can kick you right out of school if you give me so much as an impolite stare." "Like you would! Sorry if I was saying the truth," she said sarcastically, "but it's not like we can simply avoid this forever! Eventually someone is going to..."  
  
Harry looked at Ron and Hermione, who had his same dumbstruck look. It was true; they were right. Snape and Sara were brother and sister; it explained a lot of things, sure, but that didn't mean they had to get used to it right on the spot. Suddenly Ron's face grew red; he looked like he was about ready to sneeze. Harry tried to wave it off but Ron was about ready to burst; 'Don't!' mouthed Hermione, knowing they were dead for sure if either Sara or Snape caught them out here. But Ron couldn't hold it in; "ATCHOO!" he cried, trying to shake it off quickly. "What the...?!" came Sara's voice from inside. Harry, Ron, and Hermione didn't say anything else and tried to run back up the stairs but heard someone shout out a charm of some sort; then Harry recognized it. They had just learned Slowing Charms in Flitwick's class, and this was what was obviously slowing their legs down; Harry felt as if all time had stopped, but he knew otherwise. The three of them were frozen in midair, unable to move, and Harry grew desperate as he heard two sets of footsteps rounding on them from behind; unable to move, all Harry could do was wait.  
  
"So," said Sara as she came to face Harry, "so." "Of course it's Potter," spat Snape angrily, "who else thinks they're above the rules? And Weasley and Granger are with him, naturally." Sara snapped her fingers and they fell to the floor; she had finally released them from the Slowing Charm. Ron rubbed his sore ribs; he had fallen face first onto the cold stone floor, while Hermione and Harry were sitting up to observe Sara and Snape towering over them. "And what is it this time, Potter?" said Sara with what was clearly a furious tone. Even the way she said his name sounded like Snape; the way she snapped her fingers to release them from that spell reminded him of the way Snape had snapped his fingers to wrap those cords around Sirius Black during his escape in the Shrieking Shack. They were too much alike! "We were beginning to think that you and Professor Snape were brother and sister this morning," said Harry quietly, "and we came down here to find you and ask about it."  
  
Perhaps telling the truth would get them out of this without expulsion; then again this was Snape, and not just one, but two of them. Sara's eyes became slits of anger, and Snape echoed Sara's actions behind her; "Let's have a little chat down in the classroom," she said, leading them back down the steps. Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat down in the student desks while Sara and Snape came to a halt in front of his. It was no secret that Snape was a tall man; he was easily over six foot, but just seeing Sara standing next to him made the two of them seem even more similar. Sara was tall; taller than most girls her age, actually, and to see them both standing together, long, jet black hair and orb like eyes was so...well...there was no other word for it...creepy, or so Harry thought. Sara and Snape both leaned back against his desk, looking frightfully similar, and Harry waited for one of them to start yelling first. Surprisingly, neither of them did, but instead Sara spoke in a deadly whisper, "If any of you three tells so much as a house elf about what you know, I'll kill you."  
  
It didn't sound like a threat; more on the lines of a promise, and Harry didn't feel much like questioning her. Hermione, however, was stunned, "Then it's true! I can't believe it..." "Oh just look at them," said Ron, irritated at having been caught, "you'd be stupid not to see it. They could be twins they look and act so much alike." He didn't say anymore, however; they weren't sure if Snape and Sara would take that statement as a complement or an insult. Sara seemed to take it as an insult, "Excuse me but I don't hang around the dungeons like an overgrown bat," she hissed. Snape's eyes narrowed, "You are bordering expulsion." "Right," she said sarcastically, "sure. Whatever. If you say so big brother." Hermione interrupted before Snape could add anything more to his threat, "Why is this so secret? What's the big deal; brother and sister, ex Death Eaters, I don't get it." "You wouldn't," smirked Sara. Hermione was clearly boiling with anger but said nothing, waiting for her answer. She didn't get it; "I think it's best that the three of you leave now," said Sara softly but with deadly venom. Hermione opened her mouth to say something more but Harry did not feel like pressing the matter, "Let's go," he said, getting up from his seat.  
  
Just as they were passing through the doorway, however, Harry heard Snape's icy voice, "Twenty points from Gryffindor. And anymore nighttime wanderings will garner a lot more than a few house points." Harry, Ron, and Hermione each were stung by his words and Sara's metallic anger, but said nothing and instead went back to Gryffindor tower. They sat down in the common room and talked deep into the night, until the shadows were long against the wall, and finally, exhausted, went up to bed. As Harry climbed into his comfy four poster bed he thought about the different theories and ideas they'd come up with that night; he smiled as he went to sleep; every one of them seemed far too stupid an idea when putting them up against Sara and Snape.  
  
***  
  
Everyone had groaned emphatically after Dumbledore's announcement; there was to be another Yule Ball this year due to the success of it during the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Harry had pulled out his bottle green dress robes after class and had stared at them for a few minutes; he didn't despise the Yule Ball, he hated it. Ron, luckily, had gotten some new robes since the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and his were a deep, midnight blue; it didn't change the fact, however, that he hated dancing and everything to do with it. Harry and Ron both didn't want to go but Hermione finally swayed them into it; after all, if they didn't like it, they could leave at any time...as long as they went dateless, at least.  
  
Harry didn't mind that aspect too much; it was hard enough finding a date as it was, and besides, Cho Chang wasn't going so there really was no point for him. Ron agreed as well, but Harry had no idea that deep down Ron was thinking otherwise. He found out a very different way during Potions one day. They'd been discussing the Yule Ball, sitting across from Sara who was working silently, and Ron and Harry fell into their own silence as Snape passed them by. Much to their amazement, Sara, who was always cool no matter what, suddenly dropped her stirring spoon with a clatter. Her jaw had dropped in admonished surprise, then she snapped it shut, "I suggest you keep your thoughts on your cauldron, Weasley." Ron's face turned a bright, vivid red, and he went back to stirring; "Ron! Ron what is she talking about?" hissed Harry. "I...I don't know...how did she know?" he whimpered from behind his cauldron. "What Ron? What happened?"  
  
"I was just...thinking about dates for the Yule Ball...and I kind of started thinking about Sara..." "Oh no, Ron, you didn't! But wait a minute! She can't read minds!" Harry turned to look at Sara, who was eyeballing both of them with a hawk-like stare. Harry's jaw dropped, "Can she?"  
  
***  
  
They'd discussed the possibility of Snape and Sara reading minds before their whole incident down in the dungeon, but none of them had seriously considered it. After all, it was possible she could have heard them from across the common room that night; but in Potions...Ron hadn't even said a word about his idea of asking Sara to the Yule Ball. Harry wasn't even sure why Ron was so nerve-wracked about it; after all, now he didn't have to ask her in person; she already knew for herself. But how she knew was something completely different, and Harry had to find out about it before someone else got severely embarrassed by her. Harry was also very perplexed at Ron's own ideas; mostly because he'd acted like she hadn't existed for most of the time, so Harry could only wonder as to why Ron would want to ask her to the Yule Ball. They weren't exactly on...well...friendly terms, but they weren't enemies like Malfoy and Harry were either.  
  
Harry had just reached the Fat Lady and had said the password (Ursa Minor) when the portrait burst open and Sara stepped through it, looking rather miffed. "Out of the way, Potter," she snapped as she strode away, very tall and proud as usual. Harry rolled his eyes and climbed into the common room to find Ron and Hermione; Ron was rather red in the face with either anger or embarrassment, and Hermione was trying to comfort him. "What just happened?" Harry said slowly. Instead of answering Ron shouted, "I don't want to talk about it!" and went up to the boys' dormitory, slamming the door rather loudly. Hermione flinched when she heard it slam and sat down in one of the big, cozy, red armchairs in the common room, "Er, I think you might want to sit down Harry." He shrugged and sat down next to her, "What happened to him? Something between him and Sara obviously, but what?"  
  
Hermione smiled at him weakly, "You have no idea." Harry frowned, "She really hurt his feelings, didn't she?" Hermione sighed, "Sort of, but without meaning to. Ron was pacing in here, trying to think of different ways to ask her to the Yule Ball when she came through the portrait hole and spotted Ron. So I egged him on to go over to her and ask her and he did, but..." "She didn't give him the answer he wanted," finished Harry. Hermione wrung her hands nervously, "That's not all..." "What? What else can there be?" said Harry. "Harry she...oh Harry she said she wanted to go with you and not Ron!" cried Hermione. Harry was stunned; "What?" "Harry I wish I'd seen the signs sooner! Then I could have told Ron about it and he wouldn't have embarrassed himself!" said Hermione, "But it makes so much sense now! Like the way she always favors you best out of the three of us, or how she gets you off the hook on punishments. Or even how after you told off Draco for talking behind her back! Harry, she sees you for what you are and she doesn't know how to tell you!" she finished breathlessly.  
  
Harry's emerald eyes widened with realization; it was true, he knew it! Hermione was right, there were so many signs that he couldn't believe he was stupid enough not to see it! But she had done such a good job covering it up though; trying not to show any favoritism in Quidditch or always keeping him on his toes with witty, smart remarks. "What do I do?" said Harry quietly. Hermione shook her head, "I don't know Harry, but I think you had better talk to Ron; he's more than a little furious. You know how he was in our fourth year with all the attention and the Tri-Wizard Tournament; this time he'll be outraged at losing a girl to you." Harry winced with mental pain; he didn't want to put any pressure on his friend using forces he couldn't even control. He'd just explain to Ron that it wasn't his fault; Sara was the one who felt the affection for him.  
  
As Harry slowly climbed the stairs up to the boys' dormitory, however, he began to wonder if perhaps some of her feelings for him were reciprocate; he did like her a little. As a matter of fact, he wouldn't mind having her as more than a friend; a girlfriend wasn't exactly what had been on his mind as of late, but...no, he couldn't. He couldn't possibly betray his best friend; or could he? After all it wasn't really betrayal; Ron liked her and he had never told Harry; that wasn't his fault. Sara said no to Ron and told him she really wanted to go with Harry; that wasn't his fault either. Why should he be sorry at all? Now he knew why Sara was the way she was, and he wasn't sorry for that; he'd have a talk with Ron, and they'd see where things were headed from there.  
  
Harry stepped through the door to the dormitory to find Ron lying on his bed, absent-mindedly stroking Crookshanks the large ginger cat Hermione owned. Harry quietly shut the door; thankfully Seamus, Dean, and Neville were still in the common room so they could be alone for at least a little while. "Hi," said Harry slowly as he sat down on Ron's bed. Ron looked up, "What? Oh, hi," he said quietly. "Erm, look, Ron..." began Harry, but Ron interrupted, "Don't bother Harry. You beat me again, so pat yourself on the back," he muttered bitterly. "Beat you? This isn't about beating you Ron! You know I had nothing to do with it..." "Yeah, just like you always have nothing to do with it! You and your stupid famous name and face! Do you know what it's like to live in the shadow of someone else your entire life? Do you?!" Ron's face was a blazing fire of hatred, and Harry felt his heart drop to the bottom of his stomach as Ron continued.  
  
"All my life it's 'Look at perfect Percy with his perfect grades,' or 'Aren't Fred and George funny?' or 'Charlie is so great at Quidditch and he's a perfect student!' blah blah blah blah blah! And then I come to school only to have Percy, Fred, George, and even you, yes you Harry, outdo me again! Everyone is so damn perfect! Everyone is so much better than I am! All I'm stuck with is the hand-me-down robes and the piece of crap wand, letting everyone harass me about how I have no money or about how skinny I am. And then," he said, standing up and looking down at Harry with fury, "you. You just had to take my last bit of hope away from me; fine, you can have her, but don't expect me to come crawling back to you or anyone else in this school."  
  
The slam of the door not only knocked the mirror off the wall but knocked Harry's heart around in his chest; every word he'd said hurt him not because he'd gotten personal, but because he knew every word of it was true. Ron was the youngest brother, and always lived in the older brothers' shadows. His brother Percy and his becoming Head Boy; Bill becoming Head Boy too and Charlie being so good at Quidditch; Fred and George being the life of the party and still getting fairly good grades... It was no wonder Ron was so angry this time; now his best friend had outdone him again for what was not the first time in his life. It'd probably hurt Harry's feelings a lot too if he had everyone telling him about how perfect everyone in his family was except him; even though Harry had no family except an escaped convict named Sirius Black.  
  
Harry slowly got off the bed and walked down to the common room; Hermione was still sitting in her armchair, and she looked petrified. "He's..." she said softly. "I don't know how to get out of this one, Hermione," said Harry quietly as he looked at the portrait hole which Ron had just climbed through moments ago, "I just don't know."  
  
***  
  
Ron didn't show up for bed that night; or at least if he did, Harry never heard him come in. The next day in Herbology Ron didn't show up either; nor in Potions, or Transfiguration, or Defense Against the Dark Arts... Harry and Hermione were now very worried about him; neither of them had spotted him all day and they weren't sure as to where he could have got off to. Sara seemed to notice too, and although she said no words of comfort, she did ask, "Where's Weasley got off to?" and that was good enough for Harry. "We don't know," said Harry quietly during dinner, "he hasn't been here all day and he's rather upset about...something." Sara raised an eyebrow, "Ah."  
  
They all knew perfectly well what Harry was talking about, but none of them said anything; Dean and Seamus, in the meantime, were thinking about organizing a search party. "We know a few secret passages in the school," said Dean keenly, "and I think we could try to find him later on tonight. It's a Friday after all, and we're allowed to be out later than usual on Fridays." Harry shrugged; it just might work.  
  
Harry got paired up with Sara for the searching that the Gryffindor students were carrying out in private, and the two of them were assigned to search the entrance hall and the surrounding area. "Hope he hasn't done anything rash," said Harry as he checked a hidden passageway behind Uric the Oddball. Sara shrugged, "Probably just having a cry out in the boys' bathroom." Harry rummaged around behind the statue, shutting the door, feeling Sara's presence behind him; he felt a bit frustrated with her carefree manner about Ron's disappearance. "You know he does have feelings," said Harry suddenly, standing up to face her. "Oh? Well he might want to try acting like a man instead of an insecure little child sometime," she retorted. "He's not an insecure little child!" snapped Harry, "He's pissed off because he's been in everyone's shadow his entire life! I'd be mad if I were him! Nobody likes it when your best friend gets the gir-, er, never mind," said Harry quickly, continuing on to the statue of Elfric the Eager.  
  
Sara stared at him for a minute, "Oh, I see, he's pissed off because he thinks that means you're gonna 'get' me now, like I'm some piece of property right?" "No!" said Harry angrily, "Why do you always twist my words into something their not?! When I say something don't assume it means something bad or horrible or stupid!" Harry felt some of his frustration bubbling up from the inner depths of his soul, and he let the waters flow. "Look," he said, turning to face her, "I don't know what made you the way you are, and it's really none of my business. But if anyone is insecure, it isn't Ron. It's you. You're constantly sniping at people about their faults or rubbing their mistakes in their faces; it's no wonder people can't get along with you because you won't get along with them. I get along with you though because I've seen a lot worse things than most people can imagine; I don't draw early judgments on people.   
  
"People like you surprise me everyday and cause a paradigm shift in me; like the way I've seen Snape fearlessly go to Voldemort and spy without a second thought for his own life. Granted we hate each other, that's no secret, but I respect him, and I truly do, because I know what he does for humanity. It's the same for you; I respect you for what you do and your ethics as a person. But that doesn't mean I appreciate the bitter bite of your sarcasm; you ought to try being not just brave and good-hearted like you are now; you ought to try being brave, good-hearted, and putting some of your wit into kinder remarks about people. I promise you it'll work."  
  
Harry said nothing more and waited for an answer; Sara looked momentarily speechless, then her black stare returned, "Well, you were certainly right about one thing." "What's that?" he said cautiously. "That it's none of your business," she snapped, and went to the next statue. Harry wanted to pummel his fists against the brick walls, he was so furious with her, but he resisted; there was no point. Obviously nothing he could so or do was going to change her mind, and he had might as well give up. However, as they walked to the next statue of Boris the Bewildered near the prefects' bathroom, Harry noticed that Sara wasn't her usual gliding black form; instead she was shaking slightly, and remained in the shadows of the hallway. He put a comforting hand out, "Sara, are you okay?"  
  
A stream of tears burst from her eyes and she began to sob madly, "No, I'm not," she moaned. Harry quickly said the password, "Pine fresh!" and shoved Sara into the prefects' bathroom; luckily they were alone. She sat down at the edge of the huge pool and cried; she cried and cried but finally, at least a good ten minutes later, she had stopped crying enough to talk to Harry. "Do you want to talk?" said Harry quietly, even though he knew her answer would be no. "Yes, I do," she said between sobs, which surprised Harry greatly; she almost always said no to everything he asked. "I wanted to tell you but I wasn't sure if you would be able to..." said Sara quietly. "Able to what? Keep something secret?" said Harry. She nodded, "Harry, I wasn't sent here just to spy on Voldemort; I was sent here to protect you." "What?" said Harry, "Why?"  
  
She blew her nose in a tissue Harry had handed her, then continued; "I was sent here to protect you from Voldemort. I lied that night Hermione exposed me as a Death Eater; although I told you I was never a Death Eater, I was lying. I really was a Death Eater at one time; I actually tortured people alongside Voldemort when I was fifteen and sixteen years old." Harry's blood turned to ice as she continued, "I saw horrible things, Harry. Things you cannot possibly imagine; had to do things no one should be forced to do. But the problem was that I wasn't forced...I enjoyed it." Harry stiffened as she went on, "Eventually I realized what I was doing; torturing poor, innocent Muggles or driving good wizards crazy... Harry, I was famous for the Dark Arts at my school just like Severus was here; it runs very deeply in the Snape line because we're all Slytherins." "But you were put..." "Into Gryffindor, but only because you are in Gryffindor; if you had been a Ravenclaw or a Hufflepuff I would have gone there instead, but I tricked the Sorting Hat into thinking I wanted to be a Gryffindor because the Gryffindors are so brave and honorable. Luckily it didn't see through my lies and put me in Gryffindor, and I was able to watch you at all times.  
  
"I'm getting ahead of myself though. Once I realized my true colors; that is, that I was on Dumbledore's side, I contacted Severus through the Floo Network and told him what was going on. He insisted that no sister of his be so far away from him, so far from his protective eye, and told me to move here to England where I'd be around not only him but also Dumbledore. I blew it off to my parents as going to England to be closer to Voldemort and to try to kill you, and luckily they fell for it. While I was moving my belongings here, however, I found out about Voldemort's plan; he's going to try to kill you and Dumbledore by the end of the year. I immediately told Dumbledore about this and he told me that he'd be fine on his own but insisted that I protect you; after all, I knew more Dark spells in my first year than half the seventh years here. I would be an excellent protector; but it's what cost me my freedom to be friendly," she said darkly. "I don't hate students because I like to; I hate students because I have to, and especially you, Ron, and Hermione. If I didn't Voldemort would begin to suspect and he might have me or one of you killed; I can't risk my cover being blown.  
  
"But the thing is," she said in a trembling, quavering voice, "it's very hard being so alone all the time. You have no one to laugh with, no one to do homework with, no one to eat with...it's all so horrible. But I know I have to do it; if I don't it could mean my death, or worse, yours." Harry let out a soft sigh, "I don't...I don't believe it..." "I don't blame you," she said quietly, "it's a lot to take in within only a few moments time." They sat in silence for a few minutes while Sara collected her wits, then she spoke again, "You know, Severus has been so kind to me the entire time I've been here. I can't believe how lucky I am to have such a wonderful brother." Harry snorted; Sara looked at him curiously, "I know you two hate each other, but you told me you respect him. At least that's something more than some of the other students think of him."  
  
Harry was wondering whether he should ask or not, then finally dared to, "Sara, what happened to him?" She brushed a few jet-black strands of hair out of her eyes, "Severus...went through a much more trying time with the Death Eaters than what I did. It uh...it put a large amount of strain on him, mentally and physically. Whenever Voldemort suspects him of something he's often subjected to the Cruciatus Curse; I believe you know what that feels like?" Harry shuddered; Voldemort had used it on him after the Tri-Wizard Tournament. "Yes," she said quietly, "he was put through the ropes a lot. But what amazed me was how he came home every night and never said a thing; never a said a damn thing to mother and father. Of course that wouldn't have helped anyway; they're both Death Eaters, crazy, crazy Death Eaters, but he would tell me about it sometimes...  
  
"You can't possibly imagine what it's like to watch someone fall away from you and know you're helpless to stop them. He basically fell away from the family after all his Death Eater involvement; stopped talking to me, stopped laughing with me... You know there was a time where his hair wasn't greasy? It was short and clean and he never dressed in black like he does now. He was very happy before Voldemort; I used to pray every night that he would be brought back to me. The old Severus, that is; but that was when I still believed in God. After the things I've seen, I don't know how I could anymore." There was quiet for a moment, then Harry asked, "So he is the way he is because the Death Eaters destroyed his mind?" "Not quite, Harry, not quite, because you see his mind wasn't destroyed; it was his heart. He watched his friends become wicked, horrible people called Death Eaters; he watched his entire world fall apart until all that was left was...Voldemort. He used to have nightmares about it, where he would see Voldemort there in front of him, laughing his usual cold laugh at Severus; that condescending bastard," she snarled viciously.  
  
"Everything is so damn funny to him...people dying, and it's funny. Death Eaters getting killed, and it's funny. Severus' heart being ripped out of his chest and it's funny. You know why it's funny? Because everything's funny to a psychopath. I hate him; I hate him so much that every night before I go to bed I want to punch his sniveling little snake-eyed face. I'd give anything to see him dead; I'd give my own life if it meant him never returning. People like that...or rather monsters like that should never be born onto this Earth. I hate him not just for the death and destruction he caused but...but for the brother I'll never have again. Instead I'm stuck with this lifeless shell that can only snipe at Gryffindors and favor Slytherins and I...I hate it!" She balled her fists with anger and angry tears began to pour down her face again, "It's so unfair; all my family was taken away from me and now I'm the only one left with half a heart. Even then I'm not allowed to show it because it'll blow my damn cover. And to think; all I wanted was my brother." She sobbed and air hissed through her teeth as she seethed with anger, and Harry hugged her, trying to make her feel better somehow.  
  
Harry had never thought that perhaps Snape had been a loving person at one time; he had just assumed he'd always been a heartless hooked-nosed git, but clearly he'd been wrong. Harry had said earlier that people like her and Snape surprised him all the time; now he realized that this was an understatement. People like her and Snape would surprise him all the time and would continue to do so until his dying day. As Sara and Harry sat there by the pool, Sara sobbing deeply into his shoulder, Harry realized something else; Sara was completely amazing; she'd gone this long and had only now had a mental breakdown. She'd been through hell with her brother and back again, yet she kept at it without so much as a word to anyone else; that took true guts. So Harry sat there, letting her cry on his shoulder for at least another ten minutes or so, until she finally stopped, "I am such an idiot," she said quietly. "I am so weak." "Weak? Weak?! Are you mad?! You go through all that and you call yourself weak?! You've obviously underestimated yourself," said Harry. She smiled at him wanly, "I think it's best we get back to finding Ron."  
  
They left the prefects' bathroom to find none other than Severus Snape towering over them, "Potter. My classroom. Now." Harry gulped and glanced at Sara who was staring at Snape oddly; "You go back to your common room," Snape commanded Sara. She stuck her tongue out at him and went up the stairs just as Snape added, "Go talk to Weasley or something." "Ron? Ron's back?" said Harry. "Of course he is, where would he have gone to?" snapped Snape as he shoved Harry down the stairs to the dungeons. Snape slammed the door shut as soon as they were both through the doorway and Harry suspected he was in very deep trouble. "Sit," said Snape, pointing at a student desk. Harry sat down slowly, not sure what he was about to encounter when Snape put both hands on his desk and leaned forward until they were face to face, only inches apart.  
  
"Look Potter, you and I may not see eye to eye on some things, and you may despise me. Trust me, I won't argue with you on that one because I don't like you in the least bit." Harry shifted uncomfortably as he went on, "But..." Harry looked up; 'But? But what?' he thought confusedly. "...Although I don't approve of you in the slightest, if Sara trusts you then so be it. In the entire seventeen years she's been on this planet she's never told anyone about me or about anything that's happened to her. Ever." "You mean you heard all of that?" said Harry in bewilderment. "Believe me, I hear everything in this school," he sneered nastily, "but that's not the point. The point is that you are the only person in the world she has ever confided in, and that must say something about the small amount of character you may possess." Harry couldn't believe his ears; Snape was actually complementing him. Snape stood up, "Now get out of my classroom. And five points from Gryffindor for being out of your common room."  
  
Harry didn't say a word and left as quickly as he could, not daring to challenge the Potions Master. As he climbed through the portrait hole he felt bursting to tell Hermione and Ron about what had just happened but then he remembered that Ron wasn't speaking to him. However, he did see Hermione talking to Ron in the comfy armchairs, and Harry watched them stiffly. "Oh, hi, Harry!" said Hermione, trying to sound cheery. Ron eyed Harry with fury and left; Harry wanted to punch his fiery red head but resisted; after all, that would only make things worse. "Where was he?" Harry said as he sat down in an empty chair. "He wouldn't say," said Hermione, "which makes me very suspicious; it's very hard to just vanish for twenty-four hours then return and act like nothing happened." Harry shrugged, "Probably just being his usual stubborn self; I wouldn't put it past him, at least." Hermione looked a little flustered, then asked, "Why were you and Sara gone for so long?"  
  
Harry didn't feel like going into personal details about Sara's life so instead he simply said, "We were just very busy searching the entrance hall. We found a few secret passages and we thought maybe Ron had gone down them; no luck though, obviously." She shrugged, "Okay; well, it's been a long night Harry, so I'll see you later." She went up to the girls' dormitory and a few minutes later Harry followed up on her idea and climbed into his own bed, his head now swirling with thought. Ron wasn't speaking to him, Sara had had a nervous breakdown right in front of him, and Snape had complemented him.   
  
Things were definitely getting out of hand at Hogwarts.  
  
***  
  
Harry awoke to feel his scar twanging with pain, and as he tried to climb out of bed he realized that he was, in fact, no longer in it. He felt grass beneath his feet and for a moment the pain subsided; he looked up to find himself in an old, rickety house. And directly in front of him was Voldemort. Harry backed away and groped for his wand only to realize it was still at Hogwarts with his robes; he was defenseless. Voldemort laughed as he watched Harry, "We meet again, Potter. Did you sleep well?" Harry balled his fists angrily, "I'll never sleep soundly with you still around." His red eyes gleamed with satisfaction at Harry's obvious anger and fear; "You aren't safe in bed, Potter. Would you like to know why? How could you possibly have been taken here if you were sound asleep in your bed under Dumbledore's protection?" he said, posing a question that had already been seeping into his mind.  
  
Voldemort suddenly stepped aside to reveal Ron Weasley, who had his arms folded over his chest with satisfaction at seeing Harry in such a tight situation. "Ron! You didn't...no, you wouldn't go to Voldemort!" said Harry. Voldemort laughed his high, cold laugh, "Oh no Harry, you see this isn't Ron Weasley at all. Watch and see." For a moment Harry noticed nothing, then Ron's nose began to shrink and his hair was changing from its' usual vivid red to a silvery-blonde color. After another few minutes he was no longer Ron Weasley but Lucius Malfoy; "Polyjuice Potion?" said Harry slowly. "Yes indeed Potter, you catch on quickly," said Voldemort. "Apparently your friend Weasley decided to go out on a little walk after his lessons a day ago and Lucius picked him up and..." "If you hurt a hair on his head I'll kill you," snarled Harry. Voldemort laughed again, "Oh no, I assure you he is quite safe for now; we do need strands of his hair to transform Lucius, you know." Harry seethed as Voldemort continued on, "And he's not the only one that we've selected for our little Polyjuice experiment.  
  
"You see Potter, both you and Dumbledore are becoming a bit of a...nuisance, so my fellow Death Eaters and I have concocted a plan to rid us of both of you forever. Capturing one of your friends was easy enough; Lucius tranformed using Polyjuice into Ron Weasley and after you were in bed he Apparated with you, bringing you right to me. Now that you're here, another one of my Death Eaters will take your place using Polyjuice Potion, and when all is quiet at Hogwarts one of them will slip up to Dumbledore's office to..." "NO!" shouted Harry, "I refuse to be part of something you're involved in!" "You have no say so in the matter," retorted Voldemort, "and besides, how will a sixteen year old boy stand up to me?" "The same way I did when I was eleven or twelve or fourteen," Harry hissed angrily. Voldemort's red eyes grew wide with anger, "Shut up, Potter. Those were all minor incidents when I was not at my full strength, but now...now I am stronger than ever. But I wish to traverse a new subject for now," he finished, pulling back the sleeve on his left arm to reveal the Dark Mark. Unlike the Death Eaters, Voldemort's was a bright, poisonous green, and he pressed it with his fingers; a few seconds later none other than Sara Huegel had Apparated to them.  
  
She immediately bowed and groveled in front of Voldemort, but he didn't look convinced. "Sara," he said softly, "my most promising Death Eater. Your parents were Death Eaters, your brother is a Death Eater, and you were alongside me in torturing Muggles by the time you were fifteen. Very promising indeed." His eyes grew furious, however; "Despite your family history, however, there have been signs that perhaps your loyalties lie somewhere else?" Sara shook her head, "Of course not my Lord; my loyalty remains as unswerving as ever." "Yes," said Voldemort, "but loyalty to whom? Perhaps Dumbledore, that Muggle-loving fool...or maybe someone else?" She shook her head again, "There is no one, my Lord." He kicked her hard in the stomach and she did nothing to resist it; "You lie!" he shouted. Sara said nothing and continued to stare at the floor, trying to suck in more air from his hard blow. "Do you know what my Death Eaters have been telling me?" he hissed at her. She shook her head again, "I am too far down in the ranks to know anything that would be considered important to you, Lord."  
  
His expression grew angrier as he continued, "They say you've been defending Harry Potter at every twist and turn. They say you're not a true Death Eater, and that you no longer show interest in the Dark Arts. Is this true, Sara?" She said nothing for one long moment, then, "Yes." Harry couldn't believe his ears; by admitting to her disloyalty she was surely dead. Voldemort was seething with anger, "So I've been betrayed by what was once a fellow Death Eater. I am severely disappointed, Sara." She said nothing and continued to stare at the dusty floorboards. Voldemort snapped his fingers and a crystal vial appeared out of thin air; he caught it with ease and gave it to Sara. "That, Sara, is a vial of the poison Salazar's Wrath. Do you know what it does?" She shook her head, "I know not." Voldemort's smile became one of hatred as he looked down on Sara, "Whoever drinks it has precisely two hours to live. The antidote can only be made fresh from a quicksilver cauldron, and the antidote is so enormously complex that only two wizards have been able to accomplish making it in the past one thousand years of its' known existence."  
  
Sara looked down at the flask without a word as Voldemort continued, "I'm up for a bit of fun right now. How about using the Imperius Curse? Let's see how long it takes for you to give in to drinking the flask." He pointed his wand at her and said, "Imperio!" and immediately began trying to push her into drinking the poison. Harry knew this would be a snap for Sara; he'd seen her during class; she had no problems with the Imperius Curse and could throw it off easily. She'd passed Professor Ward's test with flying colors; she'd have no problem with Voldemort. To his astonishment, however, the vial slowly began to move toward her lips. 'This can't be happening, she never had any problems with it before,' thought Harry as he watched her struggle against it. Then her black eyes looked at him and he knew; she wasn't struggling at all, but putting Voldemort off for time. Flat-out resistance would earn her something worse than the Imperius Curse; the Cruciatus would become a better candidate instead. She pretended to struggle against his will but then the vial made it to her lips; Harry watched in horror as she drank all of it and fell to the floor, shaking uncontrollably, then stopped.  
  
Harry, however, had not been inactive the entire time; he'd been slowly getting up behind Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy, poising himself to tackle one of them. He hadn't yet decided on which, and he still wasn't sure what he could do since he had no wand and a Disarming Charm would surely be useless against someone as powerful as Voldemort. He finally decided, as Sara hit the floor, to go for Lucius Malfoy first, but he had gone only one step when someone Apparated into the room; it was Snape and Dumbledore, both looking very angry, and Harry took the initiative to dive out of the way. He was glad he did, for a second later Dumbledore had cried out some sort of Petrification Curse and Malfoy and Voldemort were hit full-blast by it. All Harry felt was wind whistling through his hair and he saw a large explosion of bright blue light, then saw Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy stuck in frozen positions of surprise. Harry got up from behind them slowly and said, "What'll happen to them now?" "Azkaban," said Dumbledore, a cold rage in his light blue eyes as he stepped forward to look at Voldemort's frozen form.  
  
"And possibly even a little kiss from the dementors," said Snape foully. Harry shivered, then realized he was acting foolishly; he'd completely forgotten about Sara! "I'm such an idiot!" he shouted as he ran over to her limp form, lying in one of the dark corners of the room. "Sara?" said Snape slowly. She wasn't moving and Harry quickly explained to Snape and Dumbledore that she'd been forced to drink poison under the Imperius Curse. "What was it?" said Dumbledore. "Something called Salazar's Wrath," said Harry as he tried to shake Sara awake. Dumbledore and Snape exchanged glances, then Snape Disapparated off to who knows where. "Come on Harry, we've got to get her back to Hogwarts," said Dumbledore as he helped him heft her body up, then put a Levitation Charm on her. "What'll we do? She drank it at least twenty minutes ago and the poison will kill the drinker in two hours!" cried Harry, "And Voldemort said that practically no one can make the antidote! This is all my fault..." "Harry! Enough! We will discuss this when we get back to Hogwarts! Now quickly, take hold of her and I'll Apparate both of you back."  
  
A few minutes later they had Apparated to Hogwarts, and they were taking Sara down to the dungeons. By now another fifteen minutes had gone by; only an hour and twenty-five minutes was left to administer the antidote. They went into Snape's classroom to find him rushing about the room, pulling ingredients and jars out of cabinets and storerooms. They laid Sara down on one of the worktables and Dumbledore said, "I must go back to get Voldemort and Mr. Malfoy. I'll return shortly." He left at a swift pace and in the meantime Harry was left to watch Sara die. Another fifteen minutes went by and then Snape began brewing something; as to what, Harry had a good guess; the antidote.  
  
Snape said nothing as he continued adding and stirring ingredients in a large quicksilver cauldron that Harry had never seen before, but finally he stopped and let it sit in the cauldron. After letting it simmer quietly for another twenty minutes, Harry started becoming very, very anxious; only another fifty minutes was left, and Sara's heartbeat was slowly becoming fainter. "How long does it have to simmer for?" said Harry quietly. "Another forty-five minutes," said Snape, tapping his long, spindly white fingers against the countertop nervously. Harry had never seen this side of him before; he was always icy and dour, but then again this was his sister's life on the line, not some stupid kiddy Potions class. "That's cutting it awfully close to the mark," Harry said as he watched the clock in the classroom. "I know that!" he snapped; he was also eyeballing the clock, rarely taking his eyes off it.  
  
Thirty minutes went by, and now Harry was seeing subtle signs of death in Sara; her skin was a pale gray, and large, dark gray circles were appearing around her eyes. She was also becoming quite cold, and her heartbeat was slowing so much that Harry wondered how anyone could live that way. "Isn't there anything we can...?" "Nothing," said Snape, "there is nothing we can do until the antidote is ready."  
  
Soon only ten minutes was left, but the potion was bubbling and frothing violently; it looked like it was almost ready. Five more minutes went by and Harry asked, "Now?" But Snape replied, "It needs another minute or two; if we give it to her too soon it'll kill her." Harry began shifting his body weight from foot to foot as he became more and more nervous; Sara now looked like she was on the edge of death. "Hurry, hurry, hurry..." Harry murmured, his bright green eyes on the clock. "Done!" shouted Snape suddenly, and soon he was dipping a ladle into it. A minute remained, and Harry shouted, "Come on get it over here NOW!" "Shut up Potter! Don't hurry me!" Snape shouted back at him as he came sprinting across the classroom to pour it into Sara's mouth.  
  
The hot purple liquid gushed down her throat, and soon she was spluttering violently, and began smoking at the mouth. However, despite her spluttering noises and the smoke, she wasn't moving. "What's going on?" said Harry softly. "I don't know, it should have worked," Snape said as he stared vehemently at Sara. Her skin continued to look a deathly gray, and she didn't move; Harry shook her by the shoulders, "Snap out of it! Come on, you're just kidding, now snap out of it!" he shouted.   
  
Her head just lolled about lifelessly as he shook her, and finally he let her fall back onto the table.  
  
***  
  
He sank to his knees; 'I wasn't fast enough,' thought Snape bitterly, 'I could have saved her if I had just been a minute or two quicker. Instead there she lies, dead in front of me, and I have no one left.' He watched Potter shake her lifeless form, then let her drop back to the table, and he saw angry tears forming in the young man's eyes. Potter squeezed her hand tightly then let go; he walked out of the room, muttering about how it was his fault. Snape balled his fists angrily; it wasn't Potter's fault this time, but his and his alone. If he had just made the potion faster or had Apparated to her sooner...and now he was alone. The only family left, and he had let her die. He bowed his head and pressed his palms against his eyes, trying to suppress the tears that he knew were going to come anyway. He tried to choke back a sob but to no avail; he covered his face with his hands as he wept for the second time in his life, body rocking with each hateful sob.  
  
After five minutes of this he finally stood up, eyes rimmed with red, and stared down at her silent, lifeless form on the table. He bent before her and picked up her left hand by the wrist and held it against his face; it was icy cold.   
  
Thump.  
  
He froze, her hand still pressed to his cheek, and waited.  
  
Thump.  
  
He shook his head, trying to clear it, then waited once more.  
  
Thump...thump.  
  
She was still alive; her blood was pulsing, he could feel it in her wrist, and with each thump it grew stronger. He pressed an ear to her chest and listened.  
  
Thump...thump...thump...  
  
He checked her pulse at her neck, her wrists, then double-checked it again; she was still alive, she was still alive! He watched with an iron stare as the color returned to her skin, and her body warmed. Her pulse began quickening, and suddenly she gave a large cough that sounded full of phlegm; she looked up to see him staring at her with a look of supreme happiness. "Hi," she said weakly.  
  
***  
  
Hermione could only hug Harry and hope it was helping; he'd been crying for at least ten minutes, angry with Sara for her selflessness and Voldemort for what he'd done to her. He was angry with himself, too; if only he'd been more careful, more suspicious of Ron, or rather Lucius Malfoy, when he'd returned. Dumbledore suddenly came through the portrait hole with the real Ron, who was looking very beaten and hungry. "Harry, what's the matter?" said Dumbledore. "Sara..." said Harry, "...she's dead..." Dumbledore looked puzzled, "No she isn't, she's right there." Harry looked up to see Sara standing right behind Dumbledore, holding Professor Snape's hand. He choked back a cry of surprise, and began to laugh with happiness, "I thought you were...you looked...how...?" "Minor setback," said Snape, "apparently the antidote doesn't truly start working until a few minutes after it's been introduced to the host body. Technically she was dead but we got it to her in time; she's now in as good of health as she was before."  
  
Despite Snape's cool air and the way he treated the whole situation as if nothing had happened, Harry noticed that he looked almost...happy, and he never looked happy. As a matter of fact, it looked as if his eyes were slightly reddened, as if from crying, but perhaps that was only the flickering firelight from the Gryffindor common room. Harry, however, was now also thinking about Ron, and stood up to meet him as he crossed the room. "Look Ron..." he began, but Ron stopped him. "Harry, I've been a real idiot, and after what I've just been through with the Death Eaters, I just want to go upstairs, talk to you and Hermione about whatever you want to talk about, eat Chocolate Frogs, and go to bed." Harry smiled at Ron, and he smiled back; soon everyone was laughing, including Sara, and even a slight sly grin from, of all people, Snape.  
  
***  
  
Harry wasn't boarding the Hogwarts Express to Platform Nine and Three Quarters this year because Sirius' name had been cleared after Voldemort and Lucius Malfoy had been sent to Azkaban. Ron and Hermione, however, were each on their way to separate vacations; Ron to Romania to visit his brother Charlie and Hermione to France to visit some wizarding relatives. Harry did see them off, however, and afterward he went back to Hogwarts with Sirius to pack up his stuff. Sirius now owned a small flat in Hogsmeade, so he was in no hurry. As they left the school and Harry looked back at it one last time, however, they ran across Sara and Snape. "Vacationing anywhere?" asked Sara as she dragged her trunk along. "Just living with my godfather, and that's enough for now," said Harry with a shrug. "Well, anything is better than living with those Muggles you were with," said Sara. Sirius frowned, "I'll take that as a complement." Snape, who had been standing behind Sara, narrowed his eyes on Sirius, "Only one you'll get from her or me."  
  
"Speak for yourself," snapped Sara as they left the four of them crossed the school grounds. They reached the gates of Hogwarts and stopped; this would be the last time they'd see each other for at least three months. Harry, however, had been trying to say something that had been on his mind for the past few days. "Er, Sara, can I talk to you in private?" Sirius and Snape both looked at him suspiciously but Sara agreed, "It's safe to leave you two alone for five minutes isn't it?" she said sarcastically. Snape frowned maliciously at her but Sirius was clearly trying to stifle back a laugh; since they both hated each other so much, it was probably a legitimate question. They walked twenty feet away or so then stopped, but before Harry could say anything Sara spoke first, "Listen Harry, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I know it was bothering you, Ron, and Hermione that you couldn't figure out how I was able to know what Ron was thinking. Well, truth is, I can read minds."  
  
Harry's jaw dropped, "Really? Because I've always thought that Snape..." "Ha ha, kind of funny how it worked out in our family," said Sara. "It's something we were each born with, but as we get older the ability deteriorates. Some wizard families are born with special powers; ours was mind reading, but since Severus is thirty-five he's basically lost all of it, but it still shows up here and there. As for me, well, I'm just seventeen, so I'm in my prime for mind reading. Just thought you might like to know about that." Harry was a little stunned, but then he realized this was to his advantage, "Ah, good actually. Then you can read my mind right now."  
  
Sara stared at him for a minute, then she began to blush, "Okay." He grinned sheepishly, "How about next week Friday? I'm working with the Weasley twins at their shop during the summer but after work I could come by and pick you up." She shrugged, "That sounds good to me." As they began to walk back to Snape and Sirius, Harry said, "Do you think we should tell your brother?" She giggled happily, "Yeah I think we should, just so we can see the look on his face." "Right then, you tell him, and I'll stand behind Sirius and hope he doesn't curse me," he replied. She laughed, "Good idea."  
  
They both reached Snape and Sirius, and picked up their trunks; Harry quickly moved behind Sirius before Sara had a chance to speak and waited. "Harry why don't you tell him?" said Sara suddenly. "What? Er, okay," he said, still hiding behind Sirius, who was giving him a funny look. "Erm, Professor Snape sir, I was wondering if, if it might, that is," he stuttered nervously, "if I can, rather, would it be possible for, for me to take Sara out on a date next Friday?" The blood drained from Snape's face, "What?" Harry felt almost paralyzed with fear; Snape hated him as it was, and he'd probably kill Harry once he found out he wanted to date his sister. "I, well, uh..." said Harry quietly. "Oh for God's sake big deal," said Sirius suddenly, rolling his eyes, "he wants to date your sister, who cares?" Snape's face turned bright red with anger, "I care, you imbecile!"  
  
"Well yeah, but it's not like she can't do whatever she wants right? Legally she could even get married to him and you wouldn't have a say so in the matter and neither would I. They're both over sixteen, and that's the age of consent here. I'm all for it, Harry," he said. Sara grinned, "He's right, I can do whatever I want. Why did we bother asking anyway?" Harry cleared his throat nervously, "To prevent me from getting strangled by your brother." She tried to laugh it off but spotted the way Snape was glaring at her; almost immediately an uncomfortable silence fell, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he spoke, "Potter I think it's time for another private chat," he said, grabbing Harry by the shirt and practically dragging him about twenty feet away. "Look," he said, suddenly becoming more fierce and menacing than he'd ever been the entire time Harry had been at Hogwarts, "you remember the talk we had a few weeks ago about Sara and her confidence in you." Harry nodded silently as Snape continued, "So I'm going to trust you just this once, but be forewarned Potter; if she comes home unhappy even one time I'll nail you over my Potions classroom as a warning to every other man that so much as thinks about dating her. Do you understand me?"  
  
Harry gulped nervously, "Yes sir." "Good," he said, letting Harry pass to go back to Sara and Sirius. "And Potter?" he said. Harry turned back, "Er, yes?" "I can read minds, so if you're thinking anything dirty at all whenever I'm around I'll throttle you with a..." "Don't worry! I won't! I'm only sixteen, come on!" pleaded Harry. Snape frowned at him, "That's what I'm afraid of."  
  
Harry quickly made his way back to Sara and Sirius, Snape scowling behind him, and he picked up his trunk. "Well," he said anxiously, "see you in a week then," he said. Sara smiled, "In a week, and you had better show up." Harry noticed the way Snape was seething at him, "Trust me, I will."  
  
~The End~ 


End file.
